Beatrice lives in a world divided into five factions: Abnegation, Dauntless, Erudite, Amity, and Candor. Each faction provides some kind of source to keep the world at peace. In this world, there is no greed and no hatred. Or so she thinks.

The year she turns 16, Beatrice, along with her brother Caleb, takes a simulation test which will help her decide which faction she will live in for the rest of her life. However, Beatrice’s inconclusive test results lead her to learn something about herself: she is Divergent, and being Divergent is a bad thing.

Making the choice she feels is the best for her, Beatrice begins training in her new faction, making friends – and enemies – while trying to wrap her head around exactly what is going on, not only in her own life, but in the place she chooses to call home.

Divergent was recommended to me by one of my husband’s aunts so I started reading it one day while in Barnes and Noble and was intrigued to know what was going to happen. So, a few months later, I bought it. The language of the book is simple, making it an easy read for teenagers. I was able to read through it in a little less than a week while on vacation. It was addicting.

Although I found some of the plot to be predictable, what made up for that was the way Veronica Roth displayed characters and the world. Instead of using your normal cliches, she described things some writers would never think of describing: the stretch marks on a character’s knees, the slight bulge of a character’s stomach that is shown by their outfit. It helped show the character more than so they weren’t just an outline in my mind. As a writer, it inspired me to try to describe people and objects in a way that most people wouldn’t think of describing them.

Another aspect I enjoyed was the way the book ended. While it closed a lot of doors, especially to the main plot, it left a little opening where the book could easily be picked up in the next one and continue where the plot of the first book left off while also bringing around new plots. What I really like about this is it satisfies two types of readers: if you’re a reader who didn’t like the book, there’s really no need to continue. You know what’s going on and while you don’t know exactly where it will turn next, the ending is satisfying enough that you don’t have to feel forced to continue on. If you loved the book then it leaves just enough curiosity to easily move forward. I know once I finish reading a few more books that have been sitting on my shelf I will probably go pick up the next installment.

Grade: A